Q & A
"I've been in the Craft for about 3 years. I want to join a coven. How can I find one or start one?" K.D. (16) in Ohio
To join a coven you first need to have your parents permission. (ooo the dreaded "p" word) This is important because not many covens will allow a minor to join, and those that do require parental permission for legal reasons. So if your parents give you the go ahead, then you can seriously begin the search for a coven. You shoud try the Circle Guide to Pagan Groups. You can get this for $18 (U.S. and Canada) $21 elsewhere. Send the check or money order in U.S. funds to Circle Guide, Circle Sanctuary, PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 USA.
An alternative method is to search on-line (use your best judgement when doing this). Pagan groups available online include study circles, cyber covens, chats, and mailing lists. There are quite a few networking resources on-line. One of the best is "Witches of the World" at: http://www.witchvox.com/
As for starting your own coven, I suggest waiting a while longer before
you take on this responsibility.
Give yourself a little more time to expand your knowledge and get a clear
idea of what it is you want to do exactly.
However, I can suggest three excellent books that may help you along:
Inside a Witches' Coven by Edain McCoy, Llewellyn Publications, 1997
Covencraft by Amber K, Llewellyn Publications, 1998
and Wicca Covens by Judy Harrow, Citadel Press,1999
Moon SpiritWolf
Pagan Youth Resources
Young Pagans today who have ventured beyond the exploring phase of Paganism need support. We are at risk for being harrassed and criticized for our religious beliefs. This is mainly because in our society we are seen as too immature to know what's best for our souls if it goes against commonly accepted practices. Since Witchcraft and Paganism are not so well understood and accepted (yet), Pagans in high school are accused of being teenyboppers and going with whatever is the lastest "fad". In some cases, witchcraft or symbols associated with witchcraft and Paganism are presented to kids as "bad" influences. This questions our faith and sometimes has a very negative effect in our lives.
We don't just face the negative attitudes outside of the religion, we also face it within the religion. Although there are a lot of young Pagans who are just now going deeper into the faith, we aren't all doing it just because it's "the thing to do". Both the subject of Witchcraft as a fad and Witches at war with each other have been covered in an earlier issue of Starlight Voices (Vol.1, No.2).
Crystal Seifferly, a 17 yr. old whom we have interviewed for this issue was involved with a case against her school. Her school listed the pentagram as an item banned from the campus.
Starlight Review
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Book Review
Goddess Meditations |
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Included in Goddess Meditations are tips on posture, breathing exercises,and advice on grounding for those new to meditation.
The meditations in this book cover "Light Work" (which includes love, compassion,healing,courage,etc.); "Dark Work" (cutting ties, setting limits, grief, divination, rebirth); "Chakra Goddesses". And even a chapter devoted to Goddesses for pure, free-form meditating.
I highly recommend this book for those of you interested in meditation. Whether you're just beginning or are looking for new and exciting guided meditations to follow, you're sure to find this book a valuable companion.
This presented the image that Paganism was a negative influence on teens and it also violated student's rights. We admire that fact that Crystal stood up for her faith. However, she didn't do it alone. Respectable Pagan organizations were at her side throughout.
We want you to know that there are organizations who take a positive and active interest in the youth of Paganism. Below are listed some sites and addresses of such organizations that do.
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YoungWADL- Crystal Seifferly is on the Board of Directors
as the Youth Advisor for WADL( Witches Anti-Discrimination League)
http://welcome.to/WADL
Rainwater Society- Set up to increase youth involvement within the Pagan community as a whole. https://www.angelfire.com/ca2/YoungPagans Youth for Pagan Awareness- http://listen.to/ourvoices The Witches' Voice- http://www.witchvox.com Awakenings- A mailing list for teens and college students. http://welcome.to/Awakenings/ Cyber-Moon Circle- A circle for those ages 12 - 20. https://members.tripod.com/~Moon_Circle Coalition for College and University Pagans- https://members.tripod.com/ccup_org/ |